Android App Player leaks out on to BlackBerry PlayBook

Android App Player leaks out on to BlackBerry PlayBook

Back in April, when we put the PlayBook through its paces, we were disappointed to find it lacked the previously promised, and eventually teased, Android Player. Well, the time has finally come — at least for those of you, who don’t mind getting your hands, and tablet, dirty with leaked software. The folks over at n4bb snatched up a beta version of the program, which brings nearly 250,000 little-green-monster apps to the BB slab, but point out that it’s got its drawbacks. Aside from altogether lacking a back button, this build apparently has some lagging issues. If you’re the adventurous type, however, you can download and sideload the appropriate file by clicking on the source link below. But if your PlayBook gets covered in all sorts of leaky beta goo, don’t come running to us — it is unofficial after all.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Android App Player leaks out on to BlackBerry PlayBook originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 09:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry PlayBook receives certification for US government use

The BlackBerry PlayBook may not have exactly won over consumers en masse, but it looks like RIM can now at least put a feather in its cap when it comes to one of its key customer bases: government agencies. The company announced today that the PlayBook is the first tablet to receive the so-called FIPS 140-2 certification which, according to RIM, means that the US federal government can “buy with confidence knowing that the PlayBook meets their computing policy requirements for protecting sensitive information.” Of course, those agencies will still need to make sure to supply a BlackBerry smartphone as well so folks can access some of that information — although this may be one instance where that’s considered to be more of a feature than an omission.

BlackBerry PlayBook receives certification for US government use originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry PlayBook update brings zip extraction, more storage options for attachments (updated)

RIM sure is working fast to bring its 500,000-strong BlackBerry Playbooks up to functional par. The tablet’s been on the market for three short months and is already set to receive its fourth software update. This go ’round, RIM added the ability to save attachments to a removable SD card or your phone’s internal storage, extract zip files from email (although you’ll have to use Bridge and port from your BlackBerry smartphone), a pinch-to-zoom feature for video viewing and — winner of the duh award — portrait viewing for photos. Also, the software now supports 15 additional languages — great news if you speak Galician. If you’re planning on picking up this QNX tab, you’ll receive the v1.0.7 update as part of the setup process. Current owners can wait for an update notification, or just pull it manually. So, what are you waiting for? Get downloading.

Update: And it’s gone. Seems some folks who downloaded the update were having connectivity issues using BlackBerry Bridge. RIM posted on Twitter saying users should expect a fix later this week.

BlackBerry PlayBook update brings zip extraction, more storage options for attachments (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry PlayBook gets arrested, finds itself toggling light bars in a police car (video)

Look, there’s no question that Canada looks out for its own, but if you reckoned that it also let everything slide… well, think again. One D&R Electronics has apparently thrown a BlackBerry PlayBook into a Canadian Dodge Charger, signified by a red maple leaf and the oh-so-distinct use of the word “ayeouuut.” Put simply, the 7-inch slate has been coded up to flip on the overhead / side lights, search police databases for names and faces, accept commands wirelessly from an in-car keyboard, and even be fully detachable for those times with mobility is of the utmost importance. You know, like playing Angry Birds while waiting in line to cross the border. Head on past the break to have a look, won’t you?

[Thanks, Dan]

Continue reading BlackBerry PlayBook gets arrested, finds itself toggling light bars in a police car (video)

BlackBerry PlayBook gets arrested, finds itself toggling light bars in a police car (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T to enable BlackBerry Bridge support before sundown

Most tablets function just fine on their own, but RIM’s BlackBerry Playbook introduced a unique, yet restrictive interface that limits Bluetooth tethering to a similarly-branded handset. This feature, called BlackBerry Bridge, lets your tablet piggyback on a handset’s 3G data connection, also enabling access to productivity apps like email and calendar, which are still otherwise unavailable on the PlayBook. Unfortunately, this option hasn’t been made available for AT&T users, but that’s about to change, as the feature will be added to App World today. While the Bridge suite is totally gratis, enabling the AT&T 3G data connection requires a monthly tethering plan of $45, which means anyone grandfathered into the unlimited data feature will need to decide if it’s worth the jump. Bridge not sounding like your cup of tea? Don’t worry — at least you can take comfort in knowing that the days of pining for native email are numbered.

AT&T to enable BlackBerry Bridge support before sundown originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clash of the Tablets: From iPad to TouchPad, 6 Slates Compared

These six tablets span four operating systems, multiple screen sizes and a range of connectivity features. (Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com)

In today’s crowded market, looking for a tablet is like buying a new car. Everything looks great when it’s slick, polished and sitting on the lot. The hard part is keeping track of what’s under the hood.

Wired.com took some of the front-runners from the current tablet field — the brand-new HP TouchPad, Apple’s iPad, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab and others — and stacked up their features side by side in the chart below.

In the wake of Apple’s iPad, which released April 2010, technology manufacturers are quickly churning out competing slates in hopes of luring customers into the new product category with fancy hardware and flashy apps. The tablet market is quickly gaining momentum with a new slate hitting stores every month.

(Speaking of apps, don’t miss our breakdown of software ecosystems, explaining the pros and cons of the app stores on each mobile operating system.)

  • Device
  • Hardware
  • Software/Connectivity
  • Performance
  • HP TouchPad
    $500-$600
  • Processor: 1.2-GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon
    Storage: 16 or 32 GB
    RAM: 1GB
    Cameras: 1.3-megapixel front-facing, no rear camera
    Dimensions: 9.45 by 7.48 by 0.54 inches
    Weight: 1.6 pounds
  • OS: webOS 3.0
    DLNA: No
    Wi-Fi/3G/4G: Wi-Fi only, AT&T version coming soon
    Bluetooth: Yes
    Ports: micro USB, no SD card slot
  • Battery Life: Approximately 8 hours under heavy use; closer to 9 or 10 hours under casual use conditions.
    Javascript Test Results Average: 4128.47 ms
  • Motorola Xoom
    $600-$800
  • Processor: 1-GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2
    Storage: 32GB
    RAM: 1GB
    Cameras: 2-megapixel front-facing; 5-megapixel back-facing camera
    Dimensions: 9.8 by 6.61 by 0.51 inches
    Weight: 1.56 to 1.6 pounds (depending on version)
  • OS: Android 3.1 (Honeycomb)
    DLNA: No
    Wi-Fi/3G/4G: Wi-Fi, Verizon 4G (eventually)
    Bluetooth: Yes
    Ports: micro USB, HDMI-out, microSD
  • Battery Life: Approx. 8 to 8.5 hours
    Javascript Test Results Average: 2170.6 ms
  • Apple iPad
    $400-$730 (where available)
  • Processor: 1-GHz Apple A4
    Storage: 16, 32 or 64GB
    RAM: 256MB
    Cameras: None
    Dimensions: 9.56 by 7.47 by 0.5 inches
    Weight: 1.5 to 1.6 pounds
  • OS: iOS 4.3
    DLNA: No
    Wi-Fi/3G/4G: Wi-Fi, 3G (AT&T)
    Bluetooth: Yes
    Ports: Proprietary
  • Battery Life: Approx. 10 hours
    Javascript Test Results Average: 3305.9 ms
  • Apple iPad 2
    $500-$830
  • Processor: 1-GHz dual-core Apple A5 custom-designed
    Storage: 16, 32 and 64GB
    RAM: 512MB RAM
    Cameras: front and back-facing
    Dimensions: 9.5 by 7.34 by 0.34 inches
    Weight: 1.33 to 1.35 pounds (depending on model)
  • OS: iOS 4.3 (iOS 5 coming fall 2011)
    DLNA: No
    Wi-Fi/3G/4G: Wi-Fi, 3G (AT&T or Verizon)
    Bluetooth: Yes
    Ports: Proprietary
  • Battery Life: Approx. 10 hours
    Javascript Test Results Average: 2163.3 ms
  • RIM BlackBerry PlayBook
    $500-$700
  • Processor: 1-GHz dual-core Texas Instruments OMAP
    Storage: 16, 32 or 64GB
    RAM: 1GB
    Cameras: 3-megapixel front-facing, 5-megapixel back-facing
    Dimensions: 7.6 by 5.1 by 0.4 inches
    Weight: 0.9 pounds
  • OS: PlayBook OS (QNX)
    DLNA: No (RIM claims it’s coming soon)
    Wi-Fi/3G/4G: Wi-Fi, 4G versions to come (though some carriers are backpedaling)
    Bluetooth: Yes
    Ports: micro USB, HDMI
  • Battery Life: Approx 7.5 to 8 hours
    Javascript Test Results Average: 2362.6 ms
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
    $500-$600
  • Processor: 1-GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2
    Storage: 16, 32 and 64GB
    RAM: 1GB
    Cameras: 2-megapixel front-facing, 3-megapixel back-facing;
    Dimensions: 10.1 by 6.9 by 0.338 inches
    Weight: 1.25 lbs
  • OS: Android 3.1 (Honeycomb)
    DLNA: Yes
    Wi-Fi/3G/4G: Wi-Fi only (AT&T 3G coming soon)
    Bluetooth: Yes
    Ports: Proprietary; no SD card slot
  • Battery Life: Approx. 9-10 hours
    Javascript Test Results Average: 2188.9 ms

That’s a lot of info to digest, right? Fret not, tablet shoppers: Here’s some of that info broken down across seven categories.

Body

Essentially, choosing a piece of hardware that works for you boils down to taste and utility. Want something light and airy that won’t wear your arm out while e-reading? Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 has everyone beat; It’s the thinnest, lightest 10-inch tablet out to date, even besting the super-svelte iPad 2.

Maybe you want something smaller, or with a rubberized backing to combat your butterfingers. Almost the size of a trade paperback, BlackBerry’s seven-inch PlayBook would best suit your needs.

Tablets like the TouchPad, Xoom and first-gen iPad all weigh and measure in at approximately the same range, but with some of the recent slimmer releases, they’re starting to look positively bulky.

Power

In this generation of tablets, you aren’t going to see any chips backed by less than 1 GHz of processing power. Our two Android tablets run on Nvidia’s powerful Tegra 2 processor, while Apple’s iPads are powered by the custom-made A4 and A5 series chips. RIM decided to go with a Texas Instruments OMAP, which Palm used in its Pre smartphones. Only the TouchPad clocks in at 1.2 GHz, running on a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ 8060 CPU.

Most of these tablets come with 1GB of RAM to keep things running smoothly, save Apple’s offerings — the iPad 1 comes with a paltry 256MB, while its successor doubles that amount.

It’s difficult to run a consistent processing benchmark across three different platforms, so we’re not going to give the edge to any one tablet quite yet. Still, Qualcomm’s next generation Snapdragon chip ran smooth as silk in the TouchPad — especially while multitasking — so we’re inclined to give it props.

Frontrunner: HP TouchPad

Cameras

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Shooting photos on a tablet is just weird. Like, “defending yourself in a food fight with a cafeteria tray” weird. Still, we’re all about choice here at Wired.com, and if you want to shoot photos on your tablet, some of these slates can accommodate.

Except for the first-gen iPad, which lacks any cameras at all. Similarly, the TouchPad comes with a front-facing camera for the Skype-loving crowd, but no rear camera for the shutterbugs.

All the rest come with front and back-facing cameras of variable quality, the iPad 2’s being the poorest of them all. The PlayBook has the highest resolutions on both front and back cameras, but you’ll lose viewfinder real estate with the device’s smaller screen. Conversely, the Xoom dips a touch in front-facing camera resolution while bumping up your screen size considerably.

Edge: Motorola Xoom


RIM scraps 10-inch PlayBook to focus on QNX-powered superphone?

BlackBerry PlayBook enthusiasts will want to cuddle up with their favorite blanket and a carton of ice cream, as the 10-inch version of RIM’s tablet may have been given the axe. N4BB reports that its development was recently cancelled to focus on an upcoming QNX-based “superphone,” said to feature a 1.2GHz single-core processor (same as on the Bold Touch 9900) and a 4.3-inch HD-quality display. It’s no secret that phones powered by this platform are on the roadmap, but scrapping a PlayBook project in its behalf could indicate the company’s elevated desire to get it to market even sooner than originally planned. Anything less than two cores, however, will be an unpleasant surprise; company reps have stated that a QNX-powered handset won’t hit the market without a dual-core CPU inside. The motive behind this change of heart appears to be battery life concerns with the existing PlayBook’s chip. The report doesn’t completely rule out the possibility of an extra core getting thrown in, but we’re not holding our breath. While tragic, the scrapped product will make room for other projects — the already-announced 7-inch LTE variant is reportedly targeted for an October launch — but since this is all hearsay, let’s hold off on the eulogy for now.

RIM scraps 10-inch PlayBook to focus on QNX-powered superphone? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.6 update brings Flash 10.3 and AIR 2.7 to PlayBook

Nah, it ain’t the update that’ll bring a standalone email client to your BlackBerry PlayBook, but at least it’s some positive news in an otherwise gloomy arena surrounding RIM. Version 1.0.6 of the BlackBerry Tablet OS was just cut loose today, bringing support for Adobe’s Flash 10.3 and AIR 2.7 software. In other words, users should see improved Flash performance, and they’ll also be able to tap into a new array of apps crafted with AIR 2.7. Oh, and for the security mavens? There’s a few built-in updates to safeguard you and yours. It’s available over-the-air right now, and if you don’t see an update just yet, be patient — it’s en route, we swear.

BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.6 update brings Flash 10.3 and AIR 2.7 to PlayBook originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some Mobile Programmers Skeptical About Adobe’s Flash Utopia

The BlackBerry PlayBook, which launched April 19, supports Adobe Flash. (Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com)

It’s no secret: Adobe wants to see Flash everywhere. The company wants everyone to write programs with Flash, and for all customers to rely on Flash for their software needs.

With a set of new tools launched this week, the company continues to make an aggressive push in that direction — though it may have a tough time convincing developers to buy into its vision of a Flash utopia.

Monday’s release of two software tools for mobile developers, Adobe Flash Builder and Adobe Flex 4.5, creates a single platform programmers can use to make applications that work across three major mobile platforms: Android, iOS and the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Both of these tools allow a developer to write software in Adobe Flash, then automatically recompile their creations into native apps that can be sold on three major mobile platforms.

According to Matthew Fabb, senior mobile developer at StickerYou.com, cross-platform tools like Adobe’s, and another popular one called PhoneGap, serve a need.

“Companies want to reduce their costs in creating mobile apps across platforms, rather than making them all natively,” Fabb says. “I know some companies have outsourced a lot of their mobile development,” he says, as a result of needing external talent to handle code with which in-house developers may not be as familiar.

But such tools come with their own set of problems. Some critics say using tools like these result in decreased performance, compatibility problems and generally mediocre software. So, as convenient as the idea of “write once, run anywhere” sounds, it’s just not that simple.

Poor performance is the most often-cited problem with cross-platform development tools.

When you create an application using code that’s not native to the device you’re targeting, the authoring software you’re using sometimes needs to tack on an additional layer of code called a runtime. The runtime enables the device to interact with your non-native code, but a common side-effect is a more sluggish app.

“Generally, the additional runtime is a performance hit, and it’s another layer to worry about,” says Mike Novak, Android engineer for Group.me. “I prefer native environments for the lack of a middle man.”

Also, cross-platform tools may miss some of the intricacies of each mobile OS, says mobile developer James Eberhardt.

“The biggest complaint that I have with third-party tools like these is that they’re focused on lowest common denominator features,” Eberhardt says. “The iOS SDK has a feature that allows in-app purchases, while some of the third-party tools don’t support that.”

Problems with performance and compatibility aside, Adobe has been pushing to get its software on all mobile platforms, especially the iPhone. In 2010, Adobe added the ability to create Flash apps for iOS in its Creative Suite 5 Professional software.

The company trumpets the fact that its software helps developers get their creations into multiple app marketplaces more quickly.

“If you’re deploying a mobile app, you want to reach every one of your customers on whatever device they’re on,” Greg DeMichillie, director of product management for Flash Platform tools at Adobe, tells Wired.com. For companies building everything in native code, that can take “up to three times longer to bring the apps to market,” according to DeMichillie.

Flash, along with the companion technology AIR, has long been Adobe’s flagship cross-platform environment for application development, but Adobe has struggled to implement the software consistently across different computing platforms. Most famously, Apple CEO Steve Jobs blamed Flash for frequent crashing and battery drain on Macs, and he says similar limitations have kept Apple from supporting Flash on its iOS platform entirely. On other smartphones and tablets, Adobe continues to face challenges in getting the technology to work consistently across different devices, including Research In Motion’s PlayBook tablet, which runs QNX and the Motorola Xoom tablet, which runs Android.

There’s also an entirely different snag that’s tied to device compatibility: Each class of devices has its own app store.

Unlike the centralized marketplaces like Apple’s App Store and the Android Market, there isn’t an efficient app distribution channel for applications built in Flash or AIR.

“For small guys peddling smaller web apps or services it’s a lot harder,” says Phillip Ryu, developer of the best-selling iOS game The Heist. “And there aren’t many turnkey monetization services or effective sales channels to just tap into.”

This is the problem Adobe’s new tools are effectively trying to solve, by giving Flash developers an easier way to get their creations into the multiple app marketplaces rather than rely on ad hoc distribution.

Another issue: Adobe may not be able to keep up with continuous feature updates from the different mobile platforms. Android, for instance, currently maintains a six-month release cycle, on average. Just like hardware manufacturers struggling to keep up with the platform developers, Adobe may not be able to keep its tools updated at the same pace.

That’s a non-issue for native coders. “If you go right to the source you’ll always have the option to be cutting edge,” says Group.me’s Mike Novak.

Developer James Eberhardt echoes this sentiment.

“It doesn’t matter how good the technology is,” he says. “If it doesn’t support some of these important features, it’s dead in the water.”

See Also:


RIM announces Q1 earnings, says it’s shipped 500,000 PlayBooks (update: 4G PlayBooks delayed)

RIM announces Q1 earnings, says it's shipped 500,000 PlayBooks
RIM’s just announced its Q1 earnings, including $4.9 billion in revenue and $695 million in profit. Perhaps even more anticipated than those numbers, however, are the ones involving actual devices, and the company’s now revealed that it “shipped” around 500,000 BlackBerry PlayBooks during the quarter, while phone shipments totaled 13.2 million — it didn’t get specific about actual sales to consumers. Those earnings are on the low end of forecasts, and RIM says that the slowdown it saw in the first quarter will continue into Q2, which will apparently result in an unspecified number of layoffs and a lowered forecast for the rest of the year. Head on past the break for the official press release, and hit the source link below for some more detailed numbers.

Update: On the earnings call, co-CEO Mike Lazaridis painted a bright future for his company’s tablet, but then said, “We’re soon to release native email and BBM and our Android player later in the summer, to be followed in the fall with 4G PlayBooks for WiMax, LTE, and HSPA+.” Did you catch that? In the fall. We hope this doesn’t put a damper on anybody’s summer plans.

Continue reading RIM announces Q1 earnings, says it’s shipped 500,000 PlayBooks (update: 4G PlayBooks delayed)

RIM announces Q1 earnings, says it’s shipped 500,000 PlayBooks (update: 4G PlayBooks delayed) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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